RidgeAlloy, a new aluminum alloy developed by ORNL researchers, enables low-value recycled aluminum from end-of-life vehicles to meet the strength, ductility, and crash-safety requirements for structural automotive parts.

Key individuals include ORNL researchers, with collaboration from PSW Group’s Trialco Aluminum and Falcon Lakeside Manufacturing in the demonstration process.

The team demonstrated a rapid development timeline, advancing from concept to full-scale part demonstration in about 15 months, notably fast for complex structural alloys.

Potential applications extend beyond passenger cars to industrial equipment, aerospace, agriculture, marine vessels, off-road machines, and mobile power systems.

The project tackles contamination from shredding by reprocessing and redesigning the alloy to suppress iron and other impurities that hinder recycled aluminum in structural use.

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office Lightweight Metals Core Program supports the project, reflecting a push to strengthen domestic aluminum supply chains and cut energy use in manufacturing.

Researchers used high-throughput computing, laboratory testing, and neutron diffraction experiments at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source to identify optimal alloy compositions and understand impurity effects.

Anticipated impact includes up to 95% energy savings in processing by using remelted scrap instead of primary aluminum, with RidgeAlloy potentially enabling recycled structural aluminum castings at volumes equal to at least half of current U.S. primary production by the early 2030s.

To validate the concept, recycled aluminum ingots from mixed automotive scrap were produced, melted, and cast into a medium-sized, moderately complex automotive part using high-pressure die casting, demonstrating real-world feasibility.